Well, as the end of the season approaches, non-playoff NFL teams start playing their second-and-third string players, while some big-name players lose their fantasy "Midas touch" for the last couple weeks of the season.
Take the New York Jets, for example: out of playoff contention, they replaced starter Ryan Fitzpatrick with Bryce Petty, and have thrown more balls to Robbie Anderson than Brandon Marshall.
Petty and Anderson didn't make any impact through the season, but are replacing the value of well-known starters for the fantasy playoffs.
So, instead of relying on big-name starters during fantasy playoffs, a better strategy can be to analyze offensive matchups by looking for the worst defenses in the league.
Without further ado, here are the best defenses to play against this week in all the major statistical categories.
YPG (Yards per Game)
NFL 2016 Season (through 12/21/2016)
1. San Francisco 49ers (giving up 424.9 YPG)
2. Cleveland Browns (giving up 400.8 YPG)
3. Oakland Raiders (giving up 375.9 YPG)
2. Cleveland Browns (giving up 400.8 YPG)
3. Oakland Raiders (giving up 375.9 YPG)
Last 3 Weeks Only
1. San Francisco 49ers (giving up 426.7 YPG)
2. Washington Redskins (giving up 396.7 YPG)
3. Miami Dolphins (giving up 385.3 YPG)
Hot Take(s)
As everyone will see throughout this article, the Chip Kelly experiment has failed on a grand scale.
They are last in almost every large-scale defensive statistical category: for a franchise with such strong history, this is perhaps the worst possible turn the team could have made.
2. Washington Redskins (giving up 396.7 YPG)
3. Miami Dolphins (giving up 385.3 YPG)
Hot Take(s)
As everyone will see throughout this article, the Chip Kelly experiment has failed on a grand scale.
They are last in almost every large-scale defensive statistical category: for a franchise with such strong history, this is perhaps the worst possible turn the team could have made.
YPP (Yards per Play)
NFL 2016 Season (through 12/21/2016)
1. San Francisco 49ers (giving up 6.1 YPP)
2. Oakland Raiders (giving up 6.1 YPP)
3. Cleveland Browns (giving up 6.0 YPP)
Last 3 Weeks Only
1. New York Jets (giving up 6.4 YPP)
2. San Francisco 49ers (giving up 6.2 YPP)
3. New Orleans Saints (giving up 6.0 YPP)
Hot Take(s)
The Jets, as of late, have been a sieve on the defensive side of the ball, and facing the Patriots on Saturday won't help things.
Even the Bills (whose offense consists of Shady McCoy and his long-lost cousin, Shady McCoy) should find some semblance of success against them on January 1st.
PPG (Points per Game)
NFL 2016 Season (through 12/21/2016)
1. San Francisco 49ers (giving up 31.0 PPG)
2. Cleveland Browns (giving up 29.1 PPG)
3. New Orleans Saints (giving up 28.0 PPG)
Last 3 Weeks Only
1. Arizona Cardinals (giving up 32.3 PPG)
2. New York Jets (giving up 30.7 PPG)
3. Los Angeles Rams (giving up 30.7 PPG)
Hot Take(s)
Three of the four NFC West teams (SF, LA, and ARI) make up three of the four worst defenses in the NFL in the last three weeks in this category.
That's a sad state of affairs for a group of teams who used to be known for their strong defensive fronts.
YPR (Yards per Rush Attempt)
NFL 2016 Season (through 12/21/2016)
1. San Francisco 49ers (giving up 5 YPR)
2. Cleveland Browns (giving up 4.8 YPR)
3. Miami Dolphins (giving up 4.8 YPR)
Last 3 Weeks Only
1. Miami Dolphins (giving up 5.7 YPR)
2. Cleveland Browns (giving up 5.7 YPR)
3. Chicago Bears (giving up 5.7 YPR)
Hot Take(s)
The Bears, Browns, and Dolphins are all giving up 5.7 yards per rush over the course of the last three weeks.
In the context of the game, that means that their opponents only need two rush attempts (on average) to get a first down (and then some).
As long as they are healthy, start Robert Kelley (WAS), LeSean McCoy (BUF), Mike Gilislee (BUF), Kenneth Farrow (SD), and potential deep-sleeper Ronnie Hillman (SD) this weekend for lots of fantasy gold.
YPP (Yards per Pass Attempt)
NFL 2016 Season (through 12/21/2016)
1. San Francisco 49ers (giving up 7.6 Yards per Pass Attempt)
2. Green Bay Packers (giving up 7.5 Yards per Pass Attempt)
3. Oakland Raiders (giving up 7.5 Yards per Pass Attempt)
Last 3 Weeks Only
1. San Francisco 49ers (giving up 9.1 Yards per Pass Attempt)
2. New York Jets (giving up 8.7 Yards per Pass Attempt)
3. Arizona Cardinals (giving up 7.6 Yards per Pass Attempt)
Hot Take(s)
Basically, the 49ers have allowed opposing QB's a first down every time they have thrown a ball for the last few weeks, which is beyond pathetic: Jared Goff gets deep-sleeper streaming value based off that alone.
On top of that, Tyrod Taylor becomes a legit starting option for the last week of fantasy (week 17), and Russell Wilson becomes a good starter this week and next (vs. ARI, then SF).
